Break Apart Container For Small Articles

Abstract

The invention is concerned with a container having a plurality of rectangular compartments therein for receiving small articles for transparent blister members are placed in the compartments to retain the articles therein. The compartments are arranged in two parallel rows in the container and the container has a weakened region which permits it to be stepped into two parts, each part having a row of the compartments therein. The container furthermore has weakened regions between adjacent ones of the compartments so that the compartments can be broken of singly.

Description

This invention relates to a container or package and is particularly concerned with a multicompartment package which can readily be broken apart to form smaller containers or to remove articles from the container.

Many articles are sold in units of one or in groups, depending upon the purchaser's desires or needs, and when such articles are supplied in multiple package form certain problems are introduced because of the variation in the quantity sold. A particular item of this nature, and in connection with which the present invention is illustrated, is a disposable cutting insert adapted for being detachably mounted on a tool holder. Such inserts are advantageously packaged in groups of, say 10 but may be sold in units of five, or even smaller units, and after having been sold are usually dispensed for use one at a time.

It is a convenience and an economy for the manufacturer to be able to package such inserts in groups of 10 and it is a matter of considerable convenience to the purchaser to be able to dispense the inserts from the package singly while the remaining ones of the inserts remain in the package or container and are protected thereby.

The present invention is particularly concerned with a novel container or package arrangement especially adapted for packaging articles, such as throwaway cutting tool inserts, so that a convenience and economy results for the manufacturer, for sales people, and also for the purchaser and consumer.

The present invention is also concerned with a container of the nature referred to which protects articles placed there from damage at all times.

Still further, the container according to the present invention is constructed so that it can receive articles of different sizes and all of which are retained within the container without excessive freedom of movement.

FIG. 1 is a plan view looking down on top of a container according to the present invention;

FIG. 2. is a bottom plan view looking up at the bottom of the container;

FIG. 3 is a side view looking in the direction of the arrow III in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view indicated by line IV-IV on FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view indicated by line V-V on FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a blister employed with the container to retain articles therein;

FIG. 7 is a transverse sectional view similar to FIG. 4 but showing a modification for locking the blister in the container;

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a blister of a type different from that of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 9 is a plan view of still another type of blister. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is concerned with a container, preferably of plastic, such as, polystyrene, and having multiple compartments therein arranged in two rows on opposite sides of the center of the container. The container is formed with a weakened region extending along the center so that it can be broken in two to provide two smaller containers when a purchaser uses a smaller amount that is contained within the complete container.

The container is also provided with weakened regions between adjacent ones of the compartment on each side of the center of the container so that the individual compartments can be broken off one at a time to permit dispensing of the articles one at a time.

The compartments are adapted to receive the articles to be packaged and the articles are confined within the compartments by blister members which are retained in the compartments when they are pressed therein.

To accommodate the container to articles of different size and shape, blisters of different sizes and shape are provided, all having the same dimensions overall so that all will fit uniformly sized compartments of the container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the drawings somewhat more in detail, FIG. 1--5 show a container having a main body part generally indicated at 10 and which is formed with a plurality of compartments 12, all of the same size and shape. The compartments are defined by a bottom wall 14 of the body, a peripheral wall 16, a central longitudinal wall 18 and lateral walls 20 extending between the central wall 18 and the peripheral wall 16 at the sides of the container.

At the ends of the container body, the lateral walls 20 are spaced inwardly from the ends of the container body 29 to leave end portions 22 and 24 which permit ready handling of the container and which may receive identifying ledgends, or the like. Each compartment 12 has a hole 26 provided in the bottom wall thereof in about the center. This hole can be availed of for pushing the articles therein out of the compartment. or for pushing the blister out of the compartment so that the article will readily drop therefrom.

As will be seen in FIG. 4, central wall 18 is in the form of an inverted U-shape section so that between the row of compartments 12 on one side of the longitudinal center of the container and the row of compartments 12 on one side of the longitudinal center of the container and the row of compartments 12 on the other side thereof, there is a weak region, designated by arrow 28, such that the two side parts of the container can be broken apart quite readily. As will be seen in FIG. 2 the end portions 22 and 24 of the container are hollow toward the bottom of the container and the outer confining wall portions thereof are interrupted at 30 so as to provide a continuation of the weak region 28 completely to the ends of the container.

Furthermore, as will be seen in FIG. 5, between each adjacent pair of compartments 12, there is a second weakened region, indicated by arrow 32, and formed by transversely extending slots 34 extending through the bottom wall 14 of the container adjacent the pertaining wall 20, and further more extending completely across the container in the lateral direction. The slots 34 permit the individual compartments to be broken off from the container after the container has been broken apart on the longitudinal center line, so that individual articles can readily be dispensed from the container by the user.

A blister element, formed of thin clear acetate, for example, is provided for each compartment for retaining the respective article therein. FIG. 6 shows one such blister formed of, for example, acetate material having a thickness of 0.010 inches and vacuum formed so as to have a substantially rectangular cavity 40 with a peripheral rim 42 projecting laterally from the open end of the cavity.

The dimensions of rim 42 is slightly greater in each direction than the respective dimensions of the compartment in which it is to be disposed so that when the blister is pressed in place in a compartment it will be compressed slightly and will remain therein. One such blister is shown in dot-dash outline in FIG. 5 by the reference numeral 44.

Normally, a container will receive articles of a single size only and all of the blisters placed in the container to retain the articles in place would, therefore, be of a single size only. The container shown makes up a package of 10 of the articles and an entire package can be sold or the package can be broken in two and a half package containing 5 articles can be sold. If an entire package is sold, the purchaser can break the package in half and then each individual compartment of the package can be broken off singly for dispensing the articles therefrom.

As will be seen in FIG. 7, ribs or knobs or other protuberances 46 could be provided adjacent the bottom wall of the compartments for engaging the rim of the blister if so desired. The provision of such protuberances will substantially eliminate any possibility of the blisters coming out of the compartments accidentally even if the packages are roughly handled during shipping.

As mentioned, the blisters used with the container all have the same longitudinal dimension X, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, and the same dimension Y at right angles thereto. To accommodate the package to articles of different size and/or different shape, the blisters are differently formed as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

The blister shown in FIG. 8 has a generally rectangular cavity 50 formed therein with small pocket regions; 52 in the center of one side and 54 at the ends of the opposite side. This blister is thus adapted for holding square articles of a certain size, round articles of substantially the same diameter as the length of a side of the square article, triangular articles of a size such that the apices thereon will enter pockets 52 and 54, and diamond shaped articles.

The blister shown in FIG. 9 has a cavity 56 adapted for receiving diamond shaped articles.

It will be evident that the blisters could be formed to substantially any size and shape and all the possibilities have not been illustrated herein but only enough have been illustrated to show that a multiplicity of different sizes and shapes can be packaged in one and the same container having compartments all of the same size and shape.

FIG. 7 shows protruberances 46 for engaging over the flange of the blister element to hold the blister element in the compartment of the main container part but it will be appreciated that the flange of the blister element could also be retained in place by forming groove means about the periphery of the compartment near the bottom for receiving the flange of the blister element could be heat sealed or otherwise sealed to the bottom wall of the respective compartment if so desired.

It will be apparent that modifications could be made in the structure illustrated and described and that the invention is determined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. A container for receiving a plurality of articles and comprising; a generally flat main container part having a plurality of adjacent recesses extending thereinto from the top thereof, all of said recesses being of the same size and shape and each forming a compartment for receiving one of said articles, said compartments being arranged in two adjacent and parallel longitudinal rows, a blister element receivable in each compartment adapted to confine an article in the respective compartment, each said blister element comprising a thin plastic member having a downwardly opening cavity for receiving the article in the compartment in which the blister element is placed, said blister element having a peripheral flange closely fitting within the compartment so as to be retained within the compartment when placed therein, and said main container part having a first weakened region extending in a straight line longitudinally of said main container part between the said two rows of the compartments so the container can be broken into two smaller parts each having one of said rows of compartments therein, and said main container part further comprising second weakened regions extending laterally between each adjacent pair of compartments so that the compartments of said main container part can be broken off from said smaller parts one at a time.

2. A container according to claim 1 in which said weakened regions are provided by slot means formed upwardly into said main container part from the bottom.

3. A container according to claim 2 in which said weakened regions are provided by slot means formed upwardly into said main container part from the bottom.

4. A container according to claim 2 in which the said weakened region extending in a straight line between the two rows of compartments is in the form of a pair of closely spaced walls, each forming one sidewall of the compartments of a respective one of said rows of compartments, and a section of the main container part joining the said spaced walls at the top of the container.

5. A container according to claim 2 in which said main container part has a single laterally extending wall between each adjacent pair of compartments in each said row and each of said second weakened regions comprises a transverse slot extending into said main container part from the bottom thereof toward the top but terminating short of the top of the main container part, each slot being positioned immediately adjacent a said laterally extending wall.

6. A container according to claim 1 in which each compartment has an aperture in its bottom wall to permit the use of a rodlike element for pushing the blister element out of the compartment to release an article contained within the compartment.

7. A container according to claim 1 in which means are formed on the inner periphery of each compartment near the bottom thereof adapted to engage over the flange of the respective blister element for retaining the said blister element in the compartment.

8. A container according to claim 7 in which said means in each compartment comprises groove means formed in the periphery of the compartment and adapted to receive the edge of the peripheral flange of the respective blister element.

9. A container according to claim 7 in which said means in each compartment comprises protruberance means adapted to engage over the flange of the respective blister means.

10. A container according to claim 1 in which the flange of each blister element rests on the bottom wall of the respective compartment and is sealed thereto.

11. A container according to claim 10 in which the flange of each blister element is heat sealed to the bottom wall of the respective compartment.

12. a container according to claim 1 in which the cavity in said blister element is rectangular.

13. A container according to claim 1 in which the cavity in said blister element is in the form of a parallelogram.

14. A container according to claim 1 in which the cavity in said blister element is substantially polygonal with straight sidewalls and is formed with notch means extending axially of the cavity and distributed about the interior of the cavity for receiving the corners of an article to be enclosed within the cavity.